Deloitte 2026 Outlook: Why Traditional Health Strategies Will Fail in the Face of Regulatory Uncertainty
What You Should Know: – Deloitte’s 2026 US Health Care Outlook reveals a dangerous disconnect: while nearly 70% of health executives expect to outperform competitors next year, the “traditional playbook” of market expansion and cost-cutting is no longer sufficient. – Amid rising regulatory uncertainty and financial pressure, the report identifies three mandatory pivots for survival: ... Read More
<img width="1500" height="1824" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-1500x1824.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-93163" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-1500x1824.jpeg 1500w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-247x300.jpeg 247w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-238x290.jpeg 238w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-768x934.jpeg 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-1263x1536.jpeg 1263w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/US-Health-Care-Outlook-Figure-1-1684x2048.jpeg 1684w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /> What You Should Know: – Deloitte’s 2026 US Health Care Outlook reveals a dangerous disconnect: while nearly 70% of health executives expect to outperform competitors next year, the “traditional playbook” of market expansion and cost-cutting is no longer sufficient. – Amid rising regulatory uncertainty and financial pressure, the report identifies three mandatory pivots for survival: empowering consumer health with digital experiences, scaling generative and agentic AI across operations, and forging cross-industry alliances. Leaders who fail to embrace these transformational shifts risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving landscape. Why 2026 Will Break the Traditional Healthcare Playbook For decades, the path to success in American healthcare was relatively linear: acquire more facilities, negotiate better rates, and incrementally improve efficiency. But according to Deloitte’s 2026 US Health Care Outlook, that road has reached a dead end. In a survey of 120 C-suite executives across major health systems and plans, a paradox emerged. More than two-thirds of leaders expect their organizations to outperform the competition in 2026. Yet, the strategies they plan to use—expanding market share and minimizing revenue loss—are fundamentally misaligned with the tsunami of industry uncertainty currently building. The report serves as a wake-up call: tinkering with the status quo is no longer a viable strategy. With 43% of leaders reporting uncertainty about the industry’s near-term outlook (a sharp jump from 28% last year), the margin for error has vanished. Strategy 1: The Digital Consumer is No Longer Optional The first pillar of Deloitte’s recommended pivot is a radical commitment to digital consumer empowerment. The days of viewing patients as passive recipients of care are over. With affordability pressures citing as a top concern by 26% of executives, consumers are increasingly shopping for care, delaying visits, or demanding more convenient, tech-enabled options. The report argues that long-term resilience requires meeting these consumers where they live—on their phones. This means moving beyond basic patient portals to create immersive digital experiences that rival retail and banking sectors. Strategy 2: Scaling AI from “Pilot” to “Production” Perhaps the most critical technological imperative in the report is the shift regarding Artificial Intelligence. For the past two years, Generative AI has been a sandbox experiment for many systems. In 2026, it must become the engine room. Deloitte identifies “Scaling generative AI and agentic AI” as a non-negotiable strategy for modernizing operations. Agentic AI—systems capable of taking autonomous actions to achieve goals—represents the next frontier. By automating complex administrative workflows, coding, and even clinical support tasks, health systems can finally break the cost curve that has threatened their margins for a decade. Strategy 3: The Era of Unlikely Alliances The final strategy challenges the insular nature of the healthcare industry. Deloitte urges leaders to “join forces with other industries to unlock innovation.” We are already seeing the early signals of this trend, with retail giants, tech behemoths, and telecom companies entering the care delivery space. For traditional providers and payers, the choice is binary: compete with these agile new entrants or partner with them to unlock new value streams. Whether it’s leveraging a tech partner for better data analytics or a retail partner for community access points, the report suggests that the most successful health organizations of 2026 will be part of broader, cross-sector ecosystems. For more information about the report, visit https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/health-care/life-sciences-and-health-care-industry-outlooks/2026-us-health-care-executive-outlook.html
From Confusion to Collections: How Unclear Billing Fuels the Medical Debt Crisis
Steve Callis, President of Payments, RevSpring
Medical debt remains a significant burden for patients nationwide, with U.S. residents collectively owing an estimated $220 billion. Medical visits already bring emotional and financial stress, and confusing bills only make matters worse. When patients receive statements that they don’t understand, or multiple, fragmented bills, they’re left frustrated, less likely to pay on time, and ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Steve-Callis_800x800-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-93161" width="575" height="575" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Steve-Callis_800x800-1.jpg 800w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Steve-Callis_800x800-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Steve-Callis_800x800-1-290x290.jpg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Steve-Callis_800x800-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Steve-Callis_800x800-1-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px" /> Steve Callis, President of Payments, RevSpring Medical debt remains a significant burden for patients nationwide, with U.S. residents collectively owing an estimated $220 billion. Medical visits already bring emotional and financial stress, and confusing bills only make matters worse. When patients receive statements that they don’t understand, or multiple, fragmented bills, they’re left frustrated, less likely to pay on time, and are at greater risk of accumulating medical debt. While the July 2025 ruling striking down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) plan to erase medical debt from credit reports grabbed our attention, it doesn’t address the root of the issue. Just under half of U.S. adults already struggle with healthcare costs, and one in four report having trouble paying medical bills in the past year. This underscores the importance of clear, timely communication about medical bills. Delays caused by unclear billing turn manageable balances into bad debt long before they ever reach a credit score. The real fix lies in delivering personalized, easy-to-understand communications through a single, unified platform that ensures patients see a complete and consistent picture of what they owe and when. The communication breakdown that costs patients and providers Payment delays are often driven by jargon-filled bills, outreach that doesn’t adhere to patients’ preferred channels, and inconsistent access to digital tools. Studies show that patients struggle with understanding prior authorizations and billing details, which often leads to frustration and delayed payments. Moreover, poor communication can drive many patients to consider switching providers altogether, eroding patient trust and increasing financial strain on healthcare organizations. When each billing touchpoint feels disconnected (through various formats and different messaging), patients lose confidence. This broken communication can cause financial burdens for the patients, while also directly impacting hospital and health system finances. A unified approach to patient communications can eliminate inconsistencies, making every interaction feel coordinated and intentional, in turn helping patients’ propensity to pay their bills on time and therefore increasing the hospital’s bottom line. What effective communication on healthcare finances and affordability looks like Simple, straightforward communications support patients in resolving their balances. Using plain language and clear statements while avoiding complex medical or financial jargon is one strategy to increase patient understanding. Additionally, maintaining consistency across email, print, SMS, and portal communications helps keep communications comprehensible. Utilizing a single platform can ensure this messaging is not only consistent but also tailored to patient preferences for tone, channel, and timing. Personalizing interactions gives the patients clarity and control over these scenarios, supporting their likelihood of paying a balance. It’s also important to assess population demographics and preferences when applying communications strategies. Different demographics have varying preferences. Some favor digital channels and payment options, while others still prefer traditional paper notices delivered by mail. Empowering healthcare staff to have direct conversations around patient preference can also be helpful to adjust and inform future interactions. Further, it’s important to meet the patient where they are financially. Giving them options for how, when, and where they submit payment for their healthcare can help to eliminate confusion, friction, and bad debt scenarios. Opportunities for this level of personalization can happen across the healthcare continuum: pre-service, patient intake, point of care, post service or in the back office. With the rise of alternative payment methods like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo, offering choice has become even more critical, especially as younger generations increasingly favor these options. How digital tools can help prevent bad debt The right tools support automated reminders and flexible payment plans, allowing patients to act sooner. When these capabilities live within one integrated system, patient histories, preferences, and balances are centralized, enabling timely outreach, ideally leading to earlier payments and fewer accounts in collections. Consolidating tools help organizations gain both operational efficiency and a more holistic understanding of the patient, which improves results on both sides of the balance sheet. The right tools prioritize patient understanding and seek to coordinate between the clinical and financial outcomes impacting their care. One tool currently being used as a powerful engagement driver is artificial intelligence (AI); however, these tools must be used with sensitivity. When connected to a unified system, AI can leverage a full view of patient data to deliver relevant, trustworthy interactions that are connected to prior conversations. The technology should always act as an assistant to staff, rather than a replacement for continued empathetic financial engagement with patients. Hospitals and health systems must take shared ownership of the medical debt challenge by simplifying billing, adopting digital engagement, and leveraging data-driven insights to guide patients toward manageable payment options. Personalized messages, often supported by technology, ensure that every communication is clear, consistent, and patient-centered. This proactive approach reduces bad debt at its source, improves cash flow, and can help protect patients from financial hardship. About Steve Callis As President of Payments at RevSpring, Steve Callis leads the vision, integrated product strategy, and strategic partnerships for merchant and payment software solutions. Steve has a proven track record for building and managing high-performing teams to deliver transformative integrated payments solutions that drive results for clients. He is a payments industry veteran with more than 20 years of leadership experience, including within the healthcare industry. Prior to joining RevSpring, Steve led the integrated payments businesses and market strategies with several payments industry leaders, including Elavon, EVO Payments International and Global Payments.
The VBC Paradox: Why Hospitals Are Doubling Down on Value-Based Care While Revenue at Risk Lags
What You Should Know: – A new report from Sage Growth Partners reveals a striking disconnect in the healthcare industry: while only 20% of C-suite leaders believe progress has been made in value-based care (VBC) recently, 77% plan to increase their participation in these models over the next two years. – The “plot twist” indicates ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="940" height="1220" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sage-Growth-Partners-Market-Report-Value-based-Care-Cover.png" alt="" class="wp-image-93149" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sage-Growth-Partners-Market-Report-Value-based-Care-Cover.png 940w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sage-Growth-Partners-Market-Report-Value-based-Care-Cover-231x300.png 231w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sage-Growth-Partners-Market-Report-Value-based-Care-Cover-223x290.png 223w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sage-Growth-Partners-Market-Report-Value-based-Care-Cover-768x997.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" /> What You Should Know: – A new report from Sage Growth Partners reveals a striking disconnect in the healthcare industry: while only 20% of C-suite leaders believe progress has been made in value-based care (VBC) recently, 77% plan to increase their participation in these models over the next two years. – The “plot twist” indicates that despite operational hurdles and low revenue exposure today, hospital executives view VBC as essential for long-term financial survival. The data suggests a massive strategic pivot is imminent, with significant increases in Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and bundled payment participation. Healthcare Executives Forecast Major Shift to Value-Based Models in 2026 For the better part of a decade, “Value-Based Care” (VBC) has been the healthcare industry’s horizon line—always visible, yet perpetually just out of reach. However, new data suggests we are entering a phase of forced acceleration. Sage Growth Partners, a healthcare advisory firm, released its annual C-suite survey today, and the findings illuminate a fascinating contradiction in the market. According to the report, The C-Suite’s View on Value-Based Care: Investment Heats Up Despite Cooling Sense of Progress, confidence in the industry’s progress is at an all-time low, yet commitment to the model is hitting new highs. The survey of 101 hospital and health system executives paints a picture of an industry cornered by macroeconomic pressure, choosing to innovate its way out through risk-based models despite the friction of transition. The Sentiment Slump vs. Strategic Investment The most jarring finding in the report is the collapse in sentiment regarding industry progress. Only 20% of C-suite leaders agree that the industry has made progress toward VBC in the last two years. This is a precipitous drop from 40% in 2023 and 37% in 2022. However, this pessimism regarding past progress has not dampened future ambition. In a move that Sage Growth Partners CEO Dan D’Orazio describes as a “plot twist,” 77% of C-suite leaders say their organization plans to increase participation in VBC programs in the next two years. This is a significant jump from just 57% in the previous year’s survey. “Value-based care is both a challenge for C-suites and a way to strengthen their organization’s bottom line as payer dynamics evolve and macroeconomic uncertainties persist,” said D’Orazio. The Reality of Revenue at Risk While the strategic intent is clear, the financial reality remains conservative. The report exposes that for many health systems, VBC is still a side project rather than the main revenue engine. Currently, 54% of hospitals and health systems generate between 5% and 20% of their revenue from VBC arrangements. Only a small percentage of organizations have tipped the scales to earn more than 20% of their revenue from risk-based contracts. This creates a tension between operations and finance. Executives know they need to move toward risk to ensure long-term viability, but the “revenue at risk” needle is moving slowly. This lag is likely due to the operational complexity required to manage these contracts effectively—a gap that health tech companies will need to fill. ACOs and Bundled Payments See Resurgence The specific mechanisms for VBC adoption are also shifting. The survey highlights a robust increase in structured participation: 69% of organizations are now participating in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), up from 53% in 2023. 61% are leveraging bundled payment models, a sharp increase from 46% in 2023. These figures suggest that health systems are moving past theoretical “value” and are signing ink on specific, federally and commercially recognized frameworks.
Beyond the Margin Squeeze: How Specialty Providers Use RCM Automation to Combat Rising Costs
Teri Schmidt, VP of Consulting and Business Development at SYNERGEN Health
Despite a recent uptick in margins, providers continue to face significant pressure on their revenue cycles as a result of potential reimbursement cuts, workforce recruitment challenges, and higher costs. Providers in 2024 reported operating margins of 1.2%, up from -0.5% the prior year, according to a report from Fitch. Nonetheless, margins remain “well below” pre-pandemic ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="247" height="247" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Teri-Schmidt-VP-of-Consulting-and-Business-Development-at-SYNERGEN-Health.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-93158" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Teri-Schmidt-VP-of-Consulting-and-Business-Development-at-SYNERGEN-Health.jpeg 247w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Teri-Schmidt-VP-of-Consulting-and-Business-Development-at-SYNERGEN-Health-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 247px) 100vw, 247px" /> Teri Schmidt, VP of Consulting and Business Development at SYNERGEN Health Despite a recent uptick in margins, providers continue to face significant pressure on their revenue cycles as a result of potential reimbursement cuts, workforce recruitment challenges, and higher costs. Providers in 2024 reported operating margins of 1.2%, up from -0.5% the prior year, according to a report from Fitch. Nonetheless, margins remain “well below” pre-pandemic levels, and looming federal cuts to Medicaid funding could be devastating for some providers. Federal reductions in Medicaid reimbursement and a rise in uncompensated care are straining financial stability, particularly those serving a high proportion of Medicaid patients. These fiscal pressures may compel providers to downsize services, close facilities, or lay off staff, according to Fitch. Separately, providers continue to get crushed by soaring labor costs, as total compensation and related expenses now account for 56% of total hospital costs, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA). To cite just one staggering data point: advertised salaries for registered nurses have grown 26.6% faster than the rate of inflation over the past four years, the AHA reported. While much of the broader media attention is focused on hospitals’ financial challenges, specialty care providers – such as radiology, behavioral health, and surgical specialties – are not immune from this pressure. To overcome the unique operational and billing issues they face, many specialty providers are adopting intelligent revenue cycle management (RCM) automation tools that are tailored to their specialties to streamline staff workflows and improve patient financial experience. Why specialty providers are different Specialty healthcare providers face distinct RCM challenges that differ significantly from those encountered by hospitals and primary care providers. While hospitals often operate with centralized billing systems and standardized workflows, specialty providers must navigate complex payor/reimbursement challenges with minimal resources. Radiology practices, for instance, contend with intricate billing requirements due to the diversity of imaging modalities and the necessity for precise coding. The use of specific CPT and ICD-10 codes, along with appropriate modifiers, is essential to preventing denials and underpayments. Additionally, many radiology services require prior authorization, especially for advanced imaging procedures, making this step crucial to avoid delays in treatment and disruptions to patient care. Behavioral health providers face their own set of RCM complexities. The billing process must accommodate various services, including individual therapy sessions, group treatments, and crisis interventions, each with distinct coding and documentation requirements. Further, navigating intricate payer requirements and prior authorizations adds another layer of potential complication and can lead to significant delays in reimbursement and collections. Orthopedic practices, deal with the manual nature of pre-authorizations, correct coding and use of modifiers, and the need for accurate documentation of unique specialized procedures. These factors can result in denials and delays in collections, significantly reducing a practice’s financial health. Overall, tailored RCM solutions that streamline these unique processes are crucial for optimizing revenue across specialty practices. How automation benefits RCM Automation technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP) are revolutionizing RCM by streamlining tasks, reducing errors, and enhancing financial performance. In the initial stages of the revenue cycle, RPA automates eligibility checks and insurance verifications, minimizing manual data entry and expediting patient intake processes. AI and ML algorithms analyze patient data to predict coverage issues and flag potential discrepancies before claims are submitted, thereby reducing the likelihood of denials. NLP extracts pertinent information from unstructured data sources, such as clinical notes and insurance documents, ensuring accurate and efficient data capture. In the claims management phase, automation tools are employed to monitor claim statuses and facilitate timely follow-ups. RPA can navigate payer portals and retrieve claim information, reducing the need for manual intervention. AI-driven systems prioritize claims based on factors like reimbursement potential and aging, enabling staff to focus on high-impact tasks. ML models learn from historical data to predict claim outcomes and suggest optimal follow-up strategies, enhancing the efficiency of the claims process. Denial management also benefits significantly from the integration of AI and ML technologies. These tools analyze denial patterns, identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions to prevent future occurrences. Automated systems can generate appeal letters using NLP, extracting relevant information to support the appeal process. By automating these tasks, organizations can reduce the time and resources spent on managing denials, leading to improved cash flow and reduced accounts receivable days. Finally, in the payment reconciliation stage, automation ensures accurate and timely posting of payments. RPA handles repetitive tasks such as matching payments to corresponding claims and updating financial records. AI algorithms detect anomalies in payment patterns, flagging potential issues for further investigation. This level of automation not only enhances accuracy but also frees staff to focus on more strategic financial tasks. A need for customized solutions Specialty providers need RCM tools that conform to their workflows and are customized to their specific operational and clinical needs. Across different types of specialty providers, the diversity in billing structures, prior authorization demands, clinical documentation dependencies, and payer-specific nuances require unique and specialized RCM strategies. By adopting advanced technologies such as AI, ML, and RPA, in addition to specialty-tailored solutions, specialty providers can leverage automation not just as an efficiency tool — but as a strategic enabler of growth, agility, and better patient financial experiences. About Teri Schmidt Teri Schmidt, MBA, CPC, is the vice president of consulting & business development at SYNERGEN Health. She brings more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry as a practice administrator, operational leader, and revenue cycle optimization consultant to large laboratories, health systems, and physician organizations. Her extensive hands-on knowledge of end-to-end revenue cycle processes gives her the ability to identify workflow redesign and overall performance improvement opportunities with an eye toward financial improvement and increased efficiency.
FDA Clears Ceribell’s AI-Powered EEG as First Device for Continuous Delirium Monitoring
What You Should Know: – Ceribell, Inc. has secured FDA 510(k) clearance for the world’s first continuous, AI-powered delirium monitoring solution, expanding its existing EEG platform beyond seizure detection. – The technology addresses a massive gap in critical care, providing objective, real-time tracking for a condition that affects up to 80% of ventilated patients and ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="1500" height="720" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell-1500x720.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-93167" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell-1500x720.jpg 1500w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell-300x144.jpg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell-290x139.jpg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell-768x369.jpg 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell-1536x737.jpg 1536w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ceribell.jpg 1752w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /> What You Should Know: – Ceribell, Inc. has secured FDA 510(k) clearance for the world’s first continuous, AI-powered delirium monitoring solution, expanding its existing EEG platform beyond seizure detection. – The technology addresses a massive gap in critical care, providing objective, real-time tracking for a condition that affects up to 80% of ventilated patients and is often missed by manual assessments. The clearance positions Ceribell to significantly improve ICU outcomes by reducing the mortality and long-term cognitive risks associated with untreated delirium. The “Vital Sign for the Brain” For decades, the diagnosis of delirium in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been a subjective, manual, and often missed process. Today, that paradigm shifts. Ceribell, a leader in point-of-care neurology, announced that the FDA has granted 510(k) clearance for its proprietary delirium monitoring solution—the first device of its kind to receive such regulatory approval. The FDA clearance transforms the Ceribell System from a seizure-detection tool into a broader AI-powered brain monitoring platform. By continuously analyzing EEG signals for patterns associated with delirium, the system promises to give clinicians an objective “check engine light” for the brain, potentially saving billions in healthcare costs and preventing long-term cognitive decline in millions of patients. Solving the “Silent” Crisis in the ICU Delirium is often described as the “silent epidemic” of critical care. It affects approximately 31% of all ICU patients and up to 80% of those on mechanical ventilation. The costs—both human and financial—are staggering. Every day that delirium persists, a patient’s six-month mortality risk rises by 10%. Furthermore, survivors face a 60% higher risk of developing post-ICU dementia. Despite these stakes, detection has historically been difficult. Hypoactive delirium, where a patient is quiet and withdrawn rather than agitated, often goes unrecognized by busy nursing staff using manual assessment tools. “Current detection methods rely on intermittent, labor-intensive bedside assessments that are subject to human variability,” said Dr. Juliana Barr, professor emerita at Stanford University School of Medicine. “Ceribell offers a reliable continuous monitoring solution that has the potential to improve delirium detection rates and management.” How the Technology Works Ceribell’s solution leverages the company’s existing headband EEG hardware but applies a new, rigorous algorithmic layer. The AI continuously analyzes EEG segments to identify brain patterns associated with delirium. When these patterns are detected, the system notifies clinicians, enabling timely intervention. This “always-on” approach removes the subjectivity of the clipboard and provides an objective, neurological vital sign at the bedside. The algorithm was validated through prospective studies involving 225 adults in critical care environments, confirming its reliability in real-world high-acuity settings. The Intersection of Seizures and Delirium The strategic value of this clearance lies in the clinical overlap between the conditions Ceribell now monitors. Research indicates that roughly 48% of ICU patients experiencing seizures also have peri-ictal delirium. By combining advanced seizure detection with delirium monitoring, Ceribell is giving clinicians a unified view of the patient’s neurological status, allowing for faster, more accurate decision-making. “Delirium has been under-recognized and under-treated in critically ill patients for far too long,” said Jane Chao, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Ceribell. “This is another big step towards our mission of making EEG a new vital sign for better brain care.” The Path Forward Following this clearance, Ceribell is moving quickly to operationalize the technology. The company has submitted a New Technology Add-on Payment (NTAP) application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a critical step in ensuring hospitals are reimbursed for adopting this new standard of care.
Fighting Physician Burnout: OhioHealth Deploys Abridge AI Across 200+ Care Sites
What You Should Know: – OhioHealth has announced a massive expansion of Abridge’s generative AI platform to thousands of ambulatory clinicians across its 50-county network. – The decision follows a pilot program that delivered a 59% reduction in cognitive load and a 28% decrease in after-hours documentation time for providers. By automating clinical notes and ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="650" height="340" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-12.png" alt="Fighting Physician Burnout: OhioHealth Deploys Abridge AI Across 200+ Care Sites" class="wp-image-93170" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-12.png 650w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-12-300x157.png 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-12-290x152.png 290w" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /> What You Should Know: – OhioHealth has announced a massive expansion of Abridge’s generative AI platform to thousands of ambulatory clinicians across its 50-county network. – The decision follows a pilot program that delivered a 59% reduction in cognitive load and a 28% decrease in after-hours documentation time for providers. By automating clinical notes and integrating deeply with the EHR, OhioHealth aims to restore the human connection in patient care, with plans to explore future applications in real-time prior authorization and inpatient settings. OhioHealth Scales Abridge AI to Thousands of Clinicians to Reduce Cognitive Load by 59% For years, the promise of digital health has been overshadowed by the reality of “pajama time”—the hours clinicians spend charting at night after seeing patients. Today, OhioHealth, a nationally recognized not-for-profit system, signaled a major shift in that narrative by announcing a system-wide scaling of Abridge, an enterprise-grade AI platform for clinical conversations. The expansion is not a trial balloon; it is a full deployment to thousands of ambulatory care clinicians across more than 200 care settings. This move underscores a growing industry consensus: Generative AI is no longer an experiment, but a necessary infrastructure for clinician well-being. Quantifying the Impact: The Pilot Results OhioHealth’s decision to scale was driven by a rigorous competitive evaluation and a pilot program that produced quantifiable improvements in provider quality of life. According to the announcement, clinicians utilizing the platform reported: 59% reduction in cognitive load: Freeing up mental energy to focus on diagnostic complexity rather than administrative recall. 28% decrease in time spent writing notes outside work hours: Directly attacking the primary driver of burnout. Significant increase in undivided attention: Allowing doctors to look at patients, not computer screens. “At OhioHealth, we believe that technology should support the human connection at the heart of care,” said Dr. Andrew Narcelles, Medical Director of Clinical Informatics at OhioHealth. “Our collaboration with Abridge is reducing the administrative burden for our clinicians and enabling them to connect with patients rather than computer screens.” A System-Wide Rollout The deployment will cover a diverse array of specialties. Initially tested in primary care, women’s health, and neurology, the technology is now expanding to oncology, heart and vascular, surgery, acute care, and graduate medical education. This breadth is significant. It demonstrates that ambient AI, once thought to be primarily useful for generalist conversations, has matured enough to handle the complex, nuanced vocabularies of sub-specialties. The 16-hospital system is also exploring additional use cases in nursing, emergency medicine, and inpatient care, suggesting a vision where AI permeates every layer of the clinical encounter.
AdventHealth and UCF Transform Lake Nona into a Robotic Surgery and Simulation Epicenter
What You Should Know: – Lake Nona Medical City is accelerating its growth as a national hub for integrated health innovation with two major milestones: the topping off of AdventHealth’s new robotic surgery-focused hospital and the expansion of the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing. – AdventHealth’s 25-acre campus will feature “incisionless” histotripsy ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="428" height="118" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Advent-Health.png" alt="" class="wp-image-93155" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Advent-Health.png 428w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Advent-Health-300x83.png 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Advent-Health-290x80.png 290w" sizes="(max-width: 428px) 100vw, 428px" /> What You Should Know: – Lake Nona Medical City is accelerating its growth as a national hub for integrated health innovation with two major milestones: the topping off of AdventHealth’s new robotic surgery-focused hospital and the expansion of the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing. – AdventHealth’s 25-acre campus will feature “incisionless” histotripsy technology and collaborative surgical robots, while UCF’s new pavilion triples simulation capacity to address Florida’s critical nursing shortage. Together, these projects solidify Lake Nona’s model of co-locating care, research, and education to drive real-time medical advancements. AdventHealth and UCF Redefine the ‘Medical City’ at Lake Nona In the urban planning of healthcare, proximity has always been a luxury. Hospitals, universities, and research labs typically operate in silos, separated by miles and bureaucracy. Lake Nona Medical City was designed to break that model, and its latest phase of expansion suggests the experiment is not only working but accelerating. Today, Lake Nona announced significant progress on two anchor institutions that define the district’s future: the topping off of AdventHealth’s new hospital and the opening of the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing’s expanded facility. This isn’t just about new buildings; it’s about the convergence of high-tech surgical robotics with next-generation workforce training. By physically co-locating these assets, Lake Nona is creating a feedback loop where clinical innovation and education happen simultaneously. AdventHealth: The Incisionless Hospital AdventHealth’s new 10-story facility, slated to open in November 2026, is positioning itself as a “robotic and incisionless epicenter.” The hospital will feature histotripsy technology, a cutting-edge method that uses ultrasonic waves to destroy tumors without a single incision. Beyond histotripsy, the facility will integrate collaborative robots for surgical support and “patient smart rooms,” signaling a shift toward a more autonomous, data-driven care environment. Initially opening with 95 beds, the structure is built to scale, with the capacity to add another 200 beds as demand grows. “We are bringing nationally recognized care to Lake Nona, so that no one will need to travel out of the area to get the specialized care they need,” said Chase Tikker, President and CEO of AdventHealth Lake Nona. UCF: Tripling Simulation Capacity to Fight the Nursing Crisis Parallel to the clinical expansion is a massive investment in human capital. The UCF College of Nursing has opened the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, a facility that directly addresses Florida’s projected shortage of 37,000 registered nurses within the next decade. The expansion allows UCF to increase its output by 150 newly licensed eligible nurses per year. Crucially, the facility triples the college’s simulation capacity through the Helene Fuld Health Trust STIM Center. This center features dedicated spaces for immersive AR/VR learning, preparing students for high-stakes environments like critical care and pediatrics before they ever touch a real patient. “By co-locating a top-ranked nursing program with destination hospitals and research centers, we’re creating a pipeline where training, clinical experience and innovation happen side by side,” noted Gloria Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Lake Nona.
KLAS 2025 Report: Chartis and Impact Advisors Lead as Hospitals Seek IT Planning Expertise
What You Should Know: – As healthcare IT environments grow increasingly complex, a new KLAS Decision Insights report reveals that health systems are turning to external firms primarily for high-level strategic planning and IT assessments. – The study, based on 38 purchase decisions between 2023 and 2025, identifies Chartis, Impact Advisors, and Healthlink Advisors as ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="997" height="1001" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/KLAS-IT-Planning-Assessment-Services-2025.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-93134" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/KLAS-IT-Planning-Assessment-Services-2025.jpg 997w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/KLAS-IT-Planning-Assessment-Services-2025-300x300.jpg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/KLAS-IT-Planning-Assessment-Services-2025-290x290.jpg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/KLAS-IT-Planning-Assessment-Services-2025-768x771.jpg 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/KLAS-IT-Planning-Assessment-Services-2025-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 997px) 100vw, 997px" /> What You Should Know: – As healthcare IT environments grow increasingly complex, a new KLAS Decision Insights report reveals that health systems are turning to external firms primarily for high-level strategic planning and IT assessments. – The study, based on 38 purchase decisions between 2023 and 2025, identifies Chartis, Impact Advisors, and Healthlink Advisors as the most frequently considered partners. Crucially, the data shows that expertise and cultural alignment are the dominant drivers for selection, often outweighing cost considerations in final decision-making. The Expertise Mandate: How Health Systems Are Selecting IT Partners in 2025 For the modern healthcare CIO, the days of “keeping the lights on” are long gone. The mandate has shifted to complex digital transformation—deploying AI governance, optimizing cloud environments, and navigating mergers. Consequently, hospitals are no longer just hiring extra hands; they are hiring strategic brains. A new report from KLAS Research, IT Planning & Assessment Services 2025, sheds light on exactly how these high-stakes decisions are being made. Drawing on 38 validated purchase decisions from October 2023 to October 2025, the data paints a picture of a market where deep, specialized expertise is the ultimate currency. The Demand for Strategy Over Tactics The report highlights a clear trend: healthcare organizations aren’t looking for generic advice. They are seeking specific, high-level guidance to navigate uncertainty. According to KLAS, IT Strategic Planning is the most common engagement type, cited by 56% of validated clients. This is closely followed by IT Assessment (50%), where firms benchmark current systems against industry standards. Interestingly, newer categories like Cloud Advisory (11%) and AI Advisory (1%) are emerging but still trail traditional strategic road-mapping, suggesting that while AI is buzzy, foundational IT strategy remains the priority. The Leaderboard: Who is Winning the Business? In the scramble for talent, a few names are consistently rising to the top of the RFP pile. The Chartis Group emerged as a dominant force in this sample, with 22 considerations and 10 selections. Clients frequently cited their “broad market expertise” and ability to deliver sustainable strategy models rather than just telling clients what they want to hear. Impact Advisors followed closely with 29 considerations and 5 selections , favored for their mix of high-level strategy and technical depth—the ability to go from the boardroom to the data center. Healthlink Advisors (recently acquired by Chartis) punched above its weight with a high conversion rate, noted for being a strong “cultural fit” and nailing the scope on the first pass. Other notable players like Nordic, Deloitte, and Optimum Healthcare IT also secured wins, often leveraging existing relationships or specific niche expertise like cloud advisory. Why Firms Win (and Lose) Perhaps the most critical insight for buyers is why decisions go the way they do. In 2025, “Expertise” is the single most mentioned factor for selection. Conversely, when a firm loses a bid, it is rarely just about the price tag. The top reason cited for not selecting a firm was “Firm had less expertise than a competitor” (21 mentions), followed by “Less ideal fit/alignment” (18 mentions). Cost was a distant fourth factor, mentioned only 6 times as the primary reason for rejection. This underscores a reality of the current market: when the future of a health system’s digital infrastructure is at stake, leaders are willing to pay for the team that truly understands their unique environment. The Bottom Line For health systems, the takeaway is clear: successful partnerships start with defining the “why.” As the report suggests, organizations that clarify their project scope and openly share how they differ from their peers are far more likely to find a partner that can move beyond “industry best practices” to deliver genuine innovation.
Valinor Raises $13M to Predict Clinical Trial Outcomes Using Multi-Omic AI
What You Should Know: – Valinor has launched with $13M in seed funding to tackle one of the pharmaceutical industry’s most expensive challenges: clinical trial failure led by CRV and Harpoon Ventures. – The company uses proprietary AI models trained on matched multi-omic samples and clinical outcomes to predict how specific patient populations will respond ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="1500" height="907" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-1500x907.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-93146" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-1500x907.jpg 1500w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-300x181.jpg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-290x175.jpg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-768x464.jpg 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-1536x929.jpg 1536w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Valinor-2048x1239.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /> What You Should Know: – Valinor has launched with $13M in seed funding to tackle one of the pharmaceutical industry’s most expensive challenges: clinical trial failure led by CRV and Harpoon Ventures. – The company uses proprietary AI models trained on matched multi-omic samples and clinical outcomes to predict how specific patient populations will respond to new therapies. This “response-first” approach aims to drastically de-risk drug development by identifying responders early and uncovering novel biological markers. Decoding the Black Box of Patient Response: Valinor Raises $13M to Fix Clinical Trials For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has been plagued by a “one-size-fits-many” approach to clinical trials—a strategy that frequently results in costly late-stage failures when a drug works for some, but not enough to meet statistical significance. Today, Valinor, a San Francisco-based AI pioneer, emerged to dismantle this inefficiency, announcing a $13M seed funding round to predict patient response before a trial even begins led by CRV, Harpoon Ventures, Amino Collective, and Pelion Venture Partners, with participation from notable angel investors including Charlie Songhurst and Surya Midha (co-founder of Mercor). The capital injection validates Valinor’s ambitious premise: that the failure of a drug is often not a failure of the molecule itself, but a failure to identify the correct biological environment in which it thrives. The “Matched Data” Advantage While “AI in Drug Discovery” has become a crowded sector, Valinor differentiates itself through the specific nature of its training data. Rather than relying solely on public datasets or synthetic data, Valinor trains its multimodal machine learning models on matched datasets of patient-derived multi-omic samples and treatment outcomes. This pairing is critical. By linking the deep biology (omics) directly to the result (outcome), Valinor’s platform can distinguish “responders” from “non-responders” with a level of precision that traditional biomarkers often miss. “Our models are built to surface meaningful features that underlie patient response,” said Joshua Pacini, Founder and CEO of Valinor. “We believe this approach will empower our pharmaceutical partners to improve clinical trial success rates, cut R&D costs and, most importantly, speed the delivery of life-saving medicines to patients.” Beyond Binary Outcomes Valinor’s platform does more than give a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” on a patient population. It is designed to surface novel biology associated with response. This capability allows drug developers to: Reframe target populations: Salvage drugs that might fail in a general population by identifying the sub-group where efficacy is high. Uncover new indications: Use real-world patient data to see if a drug designed for one disease might effectively treat another based on shared biological response patterns.
Subsense Raises $10M to Replace Brain Implants with Nasal Nanoparticles
What You Should Know: – Subsense Inc. has raised an additional $10M, bringing its total funding to $27M, to develop a non-surgical brain-computer interface (BCI) that relies on engineered nanoparticles rather than implanted chips. – Administered nasally to cross the blood-brain barrier, this technology aims to record and modulate brain activity with high precision without ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1052" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/subsense-bci-1500x1052.jpg" alt="Subsense Raises $10M to Replace Brain Implants with Nasal Nanoparticles" class="wp-image-93143" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/subsense-bci-1500x1052.jpg 1500w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/subsense-bci-300x210.jpg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/subsense-bci-290x203.jpg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/subsense-bci-768x539.jpg 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/subsense-bci.jpg 1528w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /> What You Should Know: – Subsense Inc. has raised an additional $10M, bringing its total funding to $27M, to develop a non-surgical brain-computer interface (BCI) that relies on engineered nanoparticles rather than implanted chips. – Administered nasally to cross the blood-brain barrier, this technology aims to record and modulate brain activity with high precision without the risks associated with invasive surgery. – The funding from Golden Falcon Capital will accelerate R&D at the company’s new Palo Alto facility, positioning Subsense to potentially democratize neural data capture on a population scale. The “Brain Chip” Alternative: Nanoparticles to Scale Neural Interfaces For the past decade, the narrative surrounding Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has been dominated by a single, invasive image: a chip surgically implanted into the cortex. While effective, this approach faces a massive barrier to scale—surgery is expensive, risky, and permanent. Today, Subsense Inc. announced a $10M capital injection that suggests the future of neural interfacing might not require a scalpel at all. The company, which has now raised a total of $27M with this latest round from Golden Falcon Capital, is pioneering a “bio-integrated” approach. Instead of drilling through the skull, Subsense is engineering nanoparticles designed to be administered nasally, crossing the blood-brain barrier to create a bidirectional link with neural activity. If successful, this approach effectively leapfrogs the current generation of invasive BCIs, moving the technology from a medical device for the few to a potential platform for the many. Solving the Hardware Problem with Chemistry The core innovation of Subsense lies in its shift from macro-hardware (electrodes) to molecular hardware (nanoparticles). The company’s platform pairs these engineered particles with proprietary signal-processing software to achieve what has historically been a tradeoff: high-fidelity signal resolution without the trauma of implantation. Current non-invasive solutions, such as EEG caps, struggle with “noise” and poor spatial resolution because they read signals through the skull. Subsense aims to bypass this by getting the sensor inside the brain environment via the bloodstream, theoretically offering the signal quality of an implant with the ease of a nasal spray. “We are developing a new kind of neural interface, which integrates seamlessly with the human body,” said Tetiana Aleksandrova, Subsense Co-founder and CEO. “This bio-integrated approach is fundamentally enhancing safety and expanding accessibility.” The fresh capital will be directed toward the company’s new laboratory and engineering facility in Palo Alto, specifically to accelerate “in vivo biosafety programs” and hardware miniaturization.
Inlightened Report: 79% of Healthcare Experts Warn Social Media Misinformation Leads to Harmful Treatments
What You Should Know: – A new survey from Inlightened reveals that 61% of vetted healthcare professionals are deeply concerned about the rise of online medical misinformation, with 79% warning that it leads patients to accept harmful, unproven treatments. – Despite this, many experts are hesitant to engage on social media due to safety concerns ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="1176" height="815" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Inlightened.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-93140" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Inlightened.jpg 1176w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Inlightened-300x208.jpg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Inlightened-290x201.jpg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Inlightened-768x532.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1176px) 100vw, 1176px" /> What You Should Know: – A new survey from Inlightened reveals that 61% of vetted healthcare professionals are deeply concerned about the rise of online medical misinformation, with 79% warning that it leads patients to accept harmful, unproven treatments. – Despite this, many experts are hesitant to engage on social media due to safety concerns and a lack of support, with nearly half citing that the risks outweigh the rewards. The report highlights an urgent need for more scientific voices on platforms like TikTok and YouTube to combat the eroding trust in evidence-based medicine. The Truth Is Losing: Healthcare Experts Sound Alarm on the Rising Tide of Online Misinformation We are living in an era where deep-fried chicken is touted as a health food and generative AI can halluncinate medical advice with confident authority. The digital ecosystem, once a tool for democratization, has become a battlefield for truth in medicine—and according to a new report, the experts are worried we are losing the fight. Inlightened, a platform connecting companies with vetted healthcare professionals (HCPs), released survey findings today that paint a grim picture of the current information landscape. The data confirms what many clinicians feel in the exam room: online influence is not just a nuisance; it is a direct threat to patient safety. “The findings of this survey highlight the critical moment we are in as an industry and a nation,” said Shelli Pavone, president and co-founder at Inlightened. “As new tools, like LLMs and AI-generated video apps, spin up… the role of those experts will be more important than ever.” The Quantifiable Cost of Fake News The survey, conducted in October 2025, queried a randomized sample of clinician experts. The results reveal a near-consensus on the damage being done: 79% of respondents said online misinformation leads to the acceptance or use of potentially harmful, unproven treatments. 78% cited a loss of trust in science-backed, proven treatments. 53% reported that patients “always” or “usually” bring social media information into the consult room—information that one in three doctors says is “rarely” helpful. This data underscores a fundamental shift in the doctor-patient relationship. Clinicians are no longer just diagnosing disease; they are de-bunking viral myths in real-time. The Hesitancy of the Experts If the solution to bad information is good information, why aren’t more doctors flooding the zone? The report uncovers a complex hesitancy among the very people best equipped to fight back. While 70% of respondents believe that “more scientific and medical voices” are needed on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, actually participating is a different story. 60% of respondents agreed they have a responsibility to engage, but qualified it with “it’s complicated.” 44% of those who stay offline believe the rewards do not outweigh the risks. 32% worry specifically about their safety and their family’s safety. This “safety gap” effectively silences qualified voices, leaving the digital floor open to influencers who face no such professional or ethical constraints. The Path Forward Despite the gloom, the survey points to actionable solutions. Experts aren’t asking for a miracle; they’re asking for infrastructure. 53% said they would be more likely to share trustworthy information if they had an assistant to help with content planning and posting. 57% called for high-level federal officials to publicly support the medical community.
Accenture Invests in Ryght AI to Accelerate Clinical Trials with Agentic AI and Digital Twins
What You Should Know: – Accenture has made a strategic investment in Ryght AI through its venture capital arm, aiming to modernize the sluggish clinical trial process. Ryght AI utilizes “agentic AI” and its proprietary AI Site Twin platform to create dynamic digital replicas of research sites, allowing pharmaceutical companies to optimize site selection and ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="1500" height="785" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72-1500x785.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-93137" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72-1500x785.webp 1500w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72-300x157.webp 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72-290x152.webp 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72-768x402.webp 768w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72-1536x804.webp 1536w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/media_18dce525fbab8e6b231c43cc267af874e497eca72.webp 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /> What You Should Know: – Accenture has made a strategic investment in Ryght AI through its venture capital arm, aiming to modernize the sluggish clinical trial process. Ryght AI utilizes “agentic AI” and its proprietary AI Site Twin platform to create dynamic digital replicas of research sites, allowing pharmaceutical companies to optimize site selection and patient enrollment. – The strategic collaboration seeks to remove the manual bottlenecks that delay life-saving therapies, combining Accenture’s global reach with Ryght’s specialized data models to accelerate drug development. The End of the Manual Trial: Accenture Bets on Agentic AI to Fix Drug Development’s Biggest Bottleneck For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has been plagued by a paradox: while the science of drug discovery moves at breakneck speed, the logistics of testing those drugs remain stuck in the analog age. Clinical trials are the most expensive and time-consuming phase of R&D, often stalled by the antiquated, manual process of selecting research sites and finding patients. Today, Accenture signaled a major shift in how the industry approaches these hurdles. The global professional services giant announced a strategic investment in Ryght AI, a platform provider leveraging “agentic AI” and digital twin technology to overhaul clinical research design. This investment, executed through Accenture Ventures, is not merely a financial transaction; it is a validation of the industry’s pivot toward autonomous, intelligent systems to manage the messy reality of human trials. Solving the “Site Selection” Crisis The core problem Ryght AI addresses is one of visibility and prediction. In the current landscape, identifying the right hospital or clinic to run a trial is a manual, heuristic-heavy process. Mistakes here are costly; selecting a site that fails to recruit patients can delay a study by months and burn millions in capital. Ryght AI’s solution is the AI Site Twin platform. This technology creates dynamic digital replicas of clinical research sites globally. By ingesting real-time data on historical performance, patient demographics, and operational capacity, the platform allows sponsors to simulate feasibility before a single contract is signed. “Generative and agentic AI are transforming the foundation of clinical research,” said Petra Jantzer, PhD, global lead of Life Sciences at Accenture. “With our investment in Ryght AI, we’re giving our life sciences clients the ability to fully leverage operational and scientific data and bring life-changing therapies to market faster.”
Included Health Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Personalized AI Chatbot
What You Should Know: – Included Health has launched “Dot,” a new intelligent AI assistant designed to move beyond generic medical advice by leveraging deep integrations with member claims, benefits, and clinical data. – Refined on over ten billion AI tokens, the platform utilizes a “clinician-in-the-loop” model, ensuring that automated guidance is backed by real-time ... Read More
<img loading="lazy" width="1121" height="538" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-11.png" alt="Included Health Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Personalized AI Chatbot" class="wp-image-93131" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-11.png 1121w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-11-300x144.png 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-11-290x139.png 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-11-768x369.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1121px) 100vw, 1121px" /> What You Should Know: – Included Health has launched “Dot,” a new intelligent AI assistant designed to move beyond generic medical advice by leveraging deep integrations with member claims, benefits, and clinical data. – Refined on over ten billion AI tokens, the platform utilizes a “clinician-in-the-loop” model, ensuring that automated guidance is backed by real-time oversight from medical experts. The “AI+EQ” approach aims to proactively nudge patients toward preventive care and handle complex administrative tasks, redefining the intersection of artificial intelligence and patient experience. Included Health Debuts ‘Dot’: An AI Assistant Trained on 10 Billion Tokens to Personalize Healthcare In the rush to integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) into the medical sector, the industry has hit a familiar wall: generic, disconnected advice. While chatbots are efficient, they often lack the context of a patient’s medical history or insurance reality. Today, Included Health aims to dismantle that barrier with the launch of Dot, an intelligent AI assistant that prioritizes context over conversation speed. Processing over ten billion AI tokens during its refinement phase with major national employers, Dot represents a pivot from “efficiency-first” AI to “experience-first” AI. By combining deep data integration with a rigorous human safety net, the platform attempts to solve the “last mile” problem in digital health: moving a patient from a query to a clinical outcome. Moving Beyond the “Wrapper” Most consumer-facing health AI tools function as “wrappers” around public LLMs—they can define a symptom, but they don’t know who you are. Dot differentiates itself by operating on a foundation of deeply integrated data. According to the announcement, the system ingests and analyzes: Claims and benefits data: Understanding exactly what a member is covered for. Systemwide utilization cost patterns: Identifying cost-effective care pathways. Proprietary physician-quality models: Matching patients to high-performing doctors. Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Contextualizing care based on a member’s environment. “Unlike mass-market chatbots that offer generic advice, Dot operates on a deep understanding of each member,” said Nupur Srivastava, Chief Operating Officer at Included Health. “It’s AI designed not just to suggest the next step, but to help you take it — confidently and with care.” The Safety Valve: Clinician-in-the-Loop The primary hesitation for enterprise adoption of health AI remains safety and accuracy. Included Health addresses this via a “clinician-in-the-loop” architecture. While the AI handles longitudinal navigation and triage, it is engineered with seamless handoffs to in-house medical experts. This hybrid model allows the AI to handle administrative friction—scheduling, referrals, and benefits questions—while human clinicians step in for complex medical opinions or acute care needs. “It’s one thing to use AI to drive efficiency in broken systems — it’s another to use it to reimagine how people can get the very best from healthcare,” noted Dr. Ami Parekh, Chief Health Officer at Included Health. “In our model, Dot is part of a team that’s building a new era of trust.” The “AI+EQ” Strategy The launch underscores a broader strategic shift Included Health terms “AI+EQ” (Artificial Intelligence plus Emotional Intelligence). The goal is to move from reactive healthcare (treating the sick) to proactive engagement (keeping members healthy). Looking ahead, the company plans to utilize Dot to generate proactive “nudges.” Instead of waiting for a patient to search for a doctor, Dot will engage at-risk individuals to schedule preventive screenings or support adherence to care plans. By handling the logistical burden of appointments and referrals, the platform aims to reduce the “admin tax” that often discourages patients from seeking care.
Joy Parenting Club Acquires Heba Care to Scale the First Comprehensive, AI-Powered Parenting Platform
What You Should Know: – Joy Parenting Club, the platform aiming to revolutionize the parenting experience, has announced its acquisition of Heba Care, a technology platform that supports families navigating complex health and developmental needs. – This acquisition marks Joy’s latest step in building the most comprehensive support ecosystem for parents. Integration Brings Clinically Validated Tools and ... Read More
What You Should Know: – Joy Parenting Club, the platform aiming to revolutionize the parenting experience, has announced its acquisition of Heba Care, a technology platform that supports families navigating complex health and developmental needs. – This acquisition marks Joy’s latest step in building the most comprehensive support ecosystem for parents. Integration Brings Clinically Validated Tools and New Tracker to Deliver 24/7 Guidance Simultaneously, Joy unveiled a new AI-powered tracker for feeding, sleep, and diapers, which is currently in Beta Testing and will roll out to all Joy users within the next 30 to 60 days. By combining Joy’s expansive platform with Heba’s technology, Joy will scale access to high-quality support for parents globally. Parents who rely on Joy’s AI experts for guidance on child development, everyday parenting, feeding, and sleep will now gain access to Heba’s clinically validated tools to help them navigate, coordinate, and manage their child’s care. Families who previously used Heba, particularly those supporting children with complex health conditions or developmental differences, will have the option to join Joy for an enhanced level of care. According to Emily Greenberg, President of Joy, integrating Heba’s powerful technology and expertise allows the company to reach even more parents globally and continue building the most comprehensive support ecosystem for families. Sam Milliken-Smith, Founder of Heba, noted that joining Joy allows them to advance their mission of helping families never feel alone “further and faster”. The need for accessible family support is significant, as 80 percent of parents now turn to social media for guidance, and over a third of children’s centers and family hubs have closed since 2009. Joy aims to deliver trusted, 24/7 digital guidance to meet this demand. Heba’s measurable impact was demonstrated in an independent study funded by Innovate UK, showing a 37 percent improvement in care coordination and a 38 percent reduction in stress. This traction complements Joy’s commitment to delivering meaningful, accessible resources through 24/7 expert-led support, curated content, commerce, and parenting services. This acquisition follows Joy’s $14M Series A fundraise in November 2025, which illustrates the company’s vision and tremendous growth in the digital parenting support sector. Joy is dedicated to building the most advanced AI specifically for parents, giving members 24/7 access to certified parenting experts, from parent coaches to lactation consultants, to help families thrive. Heba Care, founded in 2022, is a digital platform providing care management, coordination, and navigation support to families of children with developmental differences and health conditions. Heba offers a clinically validated, 4.9-star-rated mobile app that supports over 15,000 families across the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada. Heba works with organizations including the NHS, Bupa, and several national charities.
Healthcare Costs vs. Wages: Why Premiums Are Absorbing Your Annual Raise
Healthcare costs are consuming an increasingly large share of household budgets. A RAND study found that payments to finance healthcare averaged $9,393 per person, or nearly 19% of average household income. For many families, that means more than a line item on a paycheck. It shapes the way people decide when to see a doctor, ... Read More
Mary Bacaj, President of Value-Based Care Conifer Health Solutions <img loading="lazy" width="500" height="500" data-id="93119" src="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Justin-Berry-Conifer-Health.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-93119" srcset="https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Justin-Berry-Conifer-Health.jpeg 500w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Justin-Berry-Conifer-Health-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Justin-Berry-Conifer-Health-290x290.jpeg 290w, https://hitconsultant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Justin-Berry-Conifer-Health-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /> Justin Berry, VP of Population Health Conifer Health Solutions Healthcare costs are consuming an increasingly large share of household budgets. A RAND study found that payments to finance healthcare averaged $9,393 per person, or nearly 19% of average household income. For many families, that means more than a line item on a paycheck. It shapes the way people decide when to see a doctor, whether to fill a prescription, and how secure they feel in their jobs. A benefit once seen as a cornerstone of compensation is now a source of financial stress. For employers and leaders in human resources, finance, and benefits, that stress is not abstract. It shows up in the choices employees make and in the stability of the workforce itself. Premiums vs. Wages The cost of employer-sponsored health coverage has moved faster than wages for years. KFF reported that family premiums climbed another 7 percent in 2024, averaging more than $25,000, with the employer paying for 75% of the premium and employers absorbing more of the cost increase due to the tight labor market. The previous year showed the same increase, while most households experienced only modest gains in income. Instead of lifting household income, annual raises are quickly absorbed by insurance deductions. For employers, the effect is no less important. As contributions rise, employers face tougher choices regarding wage growth, and workers see less improvement in their overall compensation. Out-of-Pocket Impact Premiums tell only part of the story. Families feel the added strain in deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance, each one a cost that comes with the basic act of seeking care. For some households, an unexpected emergency visit or diagnostic scan will throw the entire month’s budget off balance. Protections have reduced the worst of surprise billing, yet the risk remains, and the worry that comes with it never fully disappears. Faced with that uncertainty, employees hesitate, and over time, those decisions turn into larger problems. Small hesitations accumulate, and by the time care is sought, conditions are harder and more expensive to treat. Employers see the result through steeper claims and the strain of a workforce that is less healthy and less present. Employee Wellbeing Financial pressure tied to healthcare does not stop at the bank account. It spills into mental health, sleep, and day-to-day focus. Medical debt creates an ongoing strain that influences both personal well-being and workplace performance. Some workers avoid health screenings or even essential health visits, not because they see no value in them, but because they worry about the cost of managing a new diagnosis. That cycle adds more pressure and makes it harder to maintain good health. The effects and financial concerns overshadow the culture employers have worked to build. Broader Implications The burden is not shared evenly. Employees on the lower end of the wage scale give up a larger share of income to premiums and out-of-pocket costs, leaving little margin for other necessities. To conserve both money and limited paid time off, many hold back on routine care or cancel appointments. The result is clear: illnesses progress, treatment becomes more complex, and cost of the eventual medical claims increase. Mental health is shaped by the same financial pressures as physical care. When counseling is delayed to avoid added expense, concerns become more serious before support is in place. At that point, the impact is greater for employees and adds challenges for the organization. Coverage may be part of the benefit package, but the cost still keeps some employees from using it. When care is delayed or avoided, the strain eventually carries into the workplace. Rising premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs lead to increased claims for employers and erode the consistency of employee performance over time. The link between affordability and performance is direct. Employers cannot solve the issue alone, yet they do have viable tactics. Coverage designed to encourage preventive care, closer attention to member, vendor and provider incentives to drive the right behavior, and clearer information about how dollars are spent all create the needed discussion needed on cost management and benefit design. Yet even the best employer strategy may be limited by the larger system. Policy must adapt so that companies willing to invest in their people are not offset by rising costs they cannot control. Moving forward will take action from both the business and the government. The measure of progress is not only in the price of premiums but in the health of the workforce and the stability of the organizations that employ them. Affordable coverage and access to care are not abstract ideals; they are essential for everyone. They represent the ground on which employers build a reliable workforce, and the system builds long-term sustainability. About Justin Berry As Conifer Health’s Vice President of Population Health, Justin Berry is responsible for PH teams including Clinical Delivery, Quality Management, Client Delivery, Data Operations, and Product Support and Training. He manages all client relationships, sets the direction for Conifer’s service offerings and works closely with all internal and external teams to ensure the highest quality outcomes and financial performance for Conifer’s Population Health clients. About Mary Bacaj, Ph.D. As President of Value-Based Care (VBC) for Conifer Health Solutions, Mary Bacaj is responsible for leading the company’s business unit that delivers population health management and financial risk management services to more than 250 organizations. Conifer VBC is uniquely positioned as a partner to employers and unions, risk-bearing healthcare providers and health plans. Mary joined Conifer Health in 2014 as Vice President of Strategy to help the company identify and implement solutions that ensure individuals receive the right care at the right time, while healthcare providers are aligned to improve the health of the population. She is a recognized subject matter expert in pay-for-performance programs, hospital and physician alliances, and healthcare reform.Prior to joining Conifer Health, she was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where she worked with senior executives at health systems and health technology companies on strategic challenges, such as population health management, hospital and physician mergers and acquisitions, and risk-based contracting.